Filter and adhesive tape dispenser

ABSTRACT

A filter and adhesive tape dispenser has a case containing a filter roll of filter material and an adhesive roll of adhesive material, and having a filter aperture and an adhesive aperture wherein the filter material projects from the filter aperture and the adhesive material projects from the adhesive aperture. There may be a filter cutter adjacent to the filter aperture for cutting the filter material, and an adhesive cutter adjacent the adhesive aperture for cutting the adhesive material. The case may have a pocket for rolling papers, and the pocket may have slits for the rolling papers to project through.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to smoking aids, and in particular a filter and tape dispenser.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Smokers often roll their own cigarettes. When preparing a cigarette, the smoker will choose a rolling paper, fill it with some tobacco, and roll it together into a cylindrical shape. The end to be burnt may be twisted closed however the end for inhaling may remain open. To prevent tobacco falling out of the end for inhaling, and to prevent inhalation of tobacco leaves, smokers often place a small roller cardboard filter in the end for inhalation. The preferred consistency of the cardboard is similar to card stock used for business cards, and is rolled 720 degrees to 1080 degrees or so, such that tobacco leaf fragments are blocked but air and smoke may pass through. The length of the filter is a personal preference of the smoker and different sizes may be ripped from card stock the smoker has handy. The width of the filter remains fairly consistent as the length of cigarette that is inserted into the lips of the smoke.

A smoker rolling cigarettes may not always have filter card stock available, and may have to rip pieces from the rolling paper package to make filters, reducing the integrity of the rolling paper package. Moreover, the smoker may use paper printed with toxic inks and unwittingly cause themselves more harm than the smoking alone.

Furthermore, smokers who roll their own cigarettes also require gummed strips to repair badly-rolled cigarettes. Previously, smokers would need to remove the sticky gum strip from the rolling paper, and use this to repair a cigarette, while discarding the rest of the paper that is now useless without the gum strip. Removing the gum strip is time-consuming and wasteful of the rest of the paper. In addition, the gum strip is limited to the length of a rolling paper. It would therefore be useful to have access to gum strip of a selected length to repair badly rolled cigarettes, without removing the gum from existing papers in a wasteful and time-consuming process.

Therefore there is a need in the art for a dispenser of filters and gum strips that is convenient to smokers who roll their own cigarettes. Preferably the dispensing would permit smokers to choose the length of the filters and gum strips for their particular use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A filter and adhesive tape dispenser has a case containing a filter roll of filter material and an adhesive roll of adhesive material, and having a filter aperture and an adhesive aperture, wherein the filter material projects from the filter aperture and the adhesive material projects from the adhesive aperture.

In one embodiment a filter cutter is adjacent to the filter aperture for cutting the filter material. The filter cutter may be cardboard, plastic or metal. In an embodiment, an adhesive cutter is adjacent to the adhesive aperture for cutting the adhesive material. The adhesive cutter may be cardboard, plastic or metal.

In one embodiment the dispenser has a pocket for containing rolling papers, and the pocket may have one or more slits for accessing the rolling papers. In an embodiment, the case may be opened to replace the filter roll and adhesive roll.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 shows a cut-away view of the filter and gum dispenser, according to one embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference to FIG. 1, the filter and adhesive tape dispenser 2 consists of a case 3 containing a filter roll 5 of filter material 9 and an adhesive roll 6 of adhesive paper for repairing broken or badly-rolled cigarettes. The width of each of the filter roll 5 and adhesive roll 6 is similar and slightly less than the height 7 of the case 3. The filter roll 5 is contained within the case 3 and the filter end 8 projects from the case 3 through a filter aperture 10. The filter aperture 10 has a filter cutter 12 adjacent the filter aperture 10 to the filter material 9 to be cut against by pulling.

The filter cutter 12 may consist of simply a reinforced edge of the case 3, cardboard or a more robust cutter affixed to the edge of the case 3, such as a small metal or plastic blade, serrated or otherwise. For sturdier filer material a metal or plastic edge is preferred. The cutter 12 would be set back a little so that an extension of the filter end 8 projects from the case 3 when the filter material 9 is cut, and the filter material 9 does not slip back into the case 3. In a preferred embodiment, the filter material 9 is card stock that is naturally-treated to avoid the vaporization of toxic inks and other chemicals from the card stock during smoking.

Similarly, the adhesive tape roll 6 is a roll of adhesive tape 11 contained within the case, in one embodiment in an opposite corner of the case 3 to the filter roll 5. The adhesive tape roll has an adhesive tape end 12, which projects from the case 3 through an adhesive tape aperture 14 in the case. The adhesive tape aperture 14 may have an adjacent adhesive tape cutter 16 for cutting the adhesive tape 11 to a custom length.

To cut the adhesive tape end 12, the adhesive tape is pulled out of the case to a desired length, and then it is pulled against the cutter 16 to sever the tape 11, and reduce pulling on the roll 6 such that no further adhesive tape 11 unrolls. In a preferred embodiment, the adhesive tape is natural gum impregnated into paper that is naturally-treated to avoid the vaporization of toxic inks and adhesive chemicals from the adhesive tape during smoking.

In an embodiment, adhesive tape does not need a backing where it is dry and non-adhesive until moisture is applied. However, in other embodiment the adhesive may be instantly usable without the addition of moisture, and such an adhesive will typically have a wax-paper backing to prevent it from adhering to itself.

The adhesive tape cutter 16 may consist of simply an edge of the packaging, or a more robust cutter affixed to the edge of the packaging, such as a small metal or plastic blade, serrated or otherwise. In one embodiment the adhesive tape cutter 16 would be set back slightly so that an extension of the adhesive tape end 11 projects from the case 3 when the In one embodiment, the case is made of heavy paper or card stock and is similar in dimensions to a package of rolling papers.

The case 3 may have a pocket 15 for rolling papers on the side, and in an embodiment the pocket 15 has slits 16 corresponding to the paper slots in popular packages of rolling paper, in order to facilitate the removal of a single rolling paper while the package of rolling papers is in the pocket 15. When the rolling papers are within the pocket 15, the cover of the rolling paper package would still fold over to cover the slits in the pocket through which the rolling papers project. In another embodiment, the case is made of card stock and contains a package of rolling papers integrated therein, on one side of the other. The filer roll 5 is typically larger than the adhesive roll 6, since the filter material 8 is thicker and will be consumed at a greater rate than the adhesive tape 11.

In another embodiment, the case 2 is made from plastic or metal and may be opened in order to refill the filter roll or adhesive roll, and/or to change these rolls for different materials. In such an embodiment the filter cutter and adhesive cutter is of the material of the case, for cost-efficiency in manufacturing. The case may have male projections at the corners of one side, and female cavities at the corresponding corners of the opposite side, so as to releasably mate the parts. One skilled in the art would appreciate various means of having the case open to replace the rolls.

From the foregoing, it will be observed that numerous variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is to be understood that no limitation with respect to the specific apparatus illustrated herein is intended or should be inferred. It is intended to cover by the appended claims all such modifications as fall within the scope of the claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A filter and adhesive tape dispenser comprising: a. a case containing a filter roll of filter material and an adhesive roll of adhesive material, and having a filter aperture and an adhesive aperture; b. wherein the filter material projects from the filter aperture and the adhesive material projects from the adhesive aperture.
 2. The dispenser of claim 1 further comprising a filter cutter adjacent to the filter aperture for cutting the filter material.
 3. The dispenser of claim 2 wherein the filter cutter is made from a material selected from the group consisting of cardboard, plastic and metal.
 4. The dispenser of claim 1 further comprising an adhesive cutter adjacent to the adhesive aperture for cutting the adhesive material.
 5. The dispenser of claim 4 wherein the adhesive cutter is made from a material selected from the group consisting of cardboard, plastic or metal.
 6. The dispenser of claim 1 further comprising a pocket for containing rolling papers.
 7. The dispenser of claim 6 wherein the pocket has one or more slits for accessing the rolling papers.
 8. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein the case may be opened to replace the filter roll and adhesive roll.
 9. A filter tape dispenser comprising: a. a case containing a filter roll of filter material, and having a filter aperture; and b. a filter cutter adjacent to the filter aperture for cutting the filter material wherein the filter material projects from the filter aperture. 